Relaxing is an art

This sheltering in place has made me miss the ocean so here is a picture. I feel the cool breeze and hear the sound of the surf. This relaxes me. When we think of stress therapy, we need to find what helps us to relax. I remember my first year in Chile when I was really stressed trying to manage a large study hall of middle school children and not knowing the language. One of our nuns wrote to me from Rome to tell me that I needed to find out what would relax me and do it. I find sitting in the Chapel helpful, but now I also play games on my I-pad or read. Walking around our beautiful grounds is also relaxing, or at least I feel more relaxed when I return.
I think that the slowing down of life in general that is taking place with everyone in a family at home instead of rushing to work, school, outside activities, etc. has the possibility of being very relaxing, but it is how we respond to the situation. Remember, we have all the time there is and now we can choose how to use our new leisure. Relaxing is an art and perhaps takes some practice!